Heel downholder for cableless safety ski bindings



H. POIGER May 2, 1967 I HEEL DOWNHOLDER FOR CABLELESS SAFETY SKI BINDINGS Filed Oct. 23, 1965 FIG] FIG.2

INVENTOR.

United States Patent O W Claims. (Cl. 280-1135) This invention relates to a heel downholder for cableless safety ski bindings in which a binding is closed by kicking down a stepped plate of the heel downholder and is released by means of a pressure lever which is operable from the outside.

It is an object of the invention to provide simple and always entirely reliably acting means for closing the cableless ski binding by a downward kick and for releasing the binding by the actuation of a lever. An essential feature of the invention which contributes to a solution to this problem resides in the provision of a locking bolt, which is subjected to an adjustable spring pressure and is mounted on two links, which are pivoted in a stationary housing part, one of said links consisting of a bell-crank lever, which is pivotally movable from the outside, the locking bolt being provided with cams, which cooperate with a pivoted head part; which has a jaw for engaging the heel, said cams causing said head part to snap into the closed and open positions.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a single clamping spring for a satisfactory locking and unlocking.

Finally it is a feature of the invention that the entire device consists of relatively robust parts, which ensure that the holder is compact in form and relatively light in weight and which virtually preclude trouble.

An illustrative embodiment of the heel downholder according to the invention is shown on the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows the heel downholder in the closed position, partly in longitudinal section. FIG. 2 is a side elevation showing the holder of FIG. 1 in an unlocked position.

The heel downholder comprises essentially a stationary housing part 1 and a head part 2, which is pivoted to the housing part and has for this purpose an elongated hole 3 at its end remote from the heel. A pivot pin 4 extending from the housing part 1 is received by said hole. The elongated hole 3 permits the head 2 to yield to some extent during the closing operation. The housing part 1 is longitudinally slidably guided in a track fixture 5, which is secured to the body of the ski. The housing part 2 is adapted to be fixed to the track fixture in the adjusted position. At its end facing the boot, the head part 2 comprises a jaw member 6, which engages the heel of the boot and which is mounted on a screw 7, which is rotatably and non-displaceably mounted in the head part 2. A rotation of the screw 7 will result in a vertical adjustment of the head part.

The housing part 1 contains a locking bolt 8, which is mounted at one end on a link 10 and at the other end on a link 11. The link 10 consists of a simple lever, which is pivoted at 9 to the housing part 1. The link '11 consists of a two-armed lever, which is pivoted at 12 in the housing 1. The two pivots connecting the locking bolt 8 to the links 10, 11 are indicated at 13, 14. The link 11 carries at one arm the pivot 14 and its other arm 16 protrudes rearwardly from the housing part 1 and serves as an actuating lever.

The locking bolt 8 is provided with a shoulder 17, which has a centering pin 18, which is received in one end portion of a spring 19 bearing on the shoulder 17. The other end of said spring bears on a pressure adjusting screw 22, which is threaded into a tapped hole 20 of the housing part 1 and has a centering pin 21, which is received by the last-mentioned end portion. The end of the locking bolt 8 near the head has two merging cam faces 23, 24, which coact with a control bolt 25, which is secured to the headpart 2 and is provided with a foot-operable plate 26 for locking the holder. The cam face 23 is provided with a notch 27.

When the holder is in the position shown in FIG. 1, the heel of the boot is fixed in position by the jaw member 6. If the upward pressure on the jaw member 6 is increased in the case of danger so that the movable head part 2 is pivotally moved upwardly to a certain extent, the control bolt 25 of the head part 2 slides against the pressure of the spring 19 against the cam face 24. Under an excessive (releasing) pressure, the control bolt 25 slides onto the cam face 23 until the unlocked position is reached, which is shown in FIG. 2. The same operation, namely, the change from the locked position to the released one may be effected by a depression of the lever 16 so that the spring 19 is compressed and the control pin 25 slides easily from the locking cam face 24 to the unlocking cam face 23, where it is held by the notch 27 or the like. The automatic snapping of the heel downpull into position is eifected by kicking down the foot-operable plate 26 in the direction of the arrow A so that the control pin 25 overcomes the pressure of the spring 19 and moves onto the cam face 24.

What is claimed is:

1. A heel downholder for cableless safety ski bindings comprising a housing part adapted to be secured to the ski, a head part pivoted to said housing part, said head part being provided with a jaw for embracing the heel of the boot, and with a stepped plate, which is adapted to be kicked down to move the holder into its locked position, said head part being under the influence of a snap lock, which locks the head part in both end positions, said snap lock being provided with a locking bolt, which is subjected to the adjustable pressure of a clamping spring and is pivoted at opposite ends to two links pivotally mounted in said housing part, said bolt being provided with cams which cooperate with said head to ensure a releasable snapping of the head part into a release position and locked position, one of said links consisting of a bell-crank lever which is adapted to be operated from the outside.

2. A heel downholder according to claim 1, characterized in that said locking bolt has a step which is provided with a centering means and which is engaged by one end of said clamping spring whereas the other end of said spring is held in an adjusting screw which is threaded in said hopsing.

3. A heel downholder according to claim 1, characterized in that said head part is pivoted in an elongated hole.

4. A heel downholder according to claim 1, characterized in that the jaw which embraces the heel of the boot is vertically adjustable on a screw of the head part.

5. A heel downholder according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing part inclusive of the head part is longitudinally adjustable on a slideway.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,879,071 3/1959 King 28011.35

3,125,349 3/1964 Schweizer 280-11.35

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,363,150 4/1964 France.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. J. H. BRANNEN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HEEL DOWNHOLDER FOR CABLELESS SAFETY SKI BINDINGS COMPRISING A HOUSING PART ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE SKI, A HEAD PART PIVOTED TO SAID HOUSING PART, SAID HEAD PART BEING PROVIDED WITH A JAW FOR EMBRACING THE HEEL OF THE BOOT, AND WITH A STEPPED PLATE, WHICH IS ADAPTED TO BE KICKED DOWN TO MOVE THE HOLDER INTO ITS LOCKED POSITION, SAID HEAD PART BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A SNAP LOCK, WHICH LOCKS THE HEAD PART IN BOTH END POSITIONS, SAID SNAP LOCK BEING PROVIDED WITH A LOCKING BOLT, WHICH IS SUBJECTED TO THE ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE OF A CLAMPING SPRING AND IS PIVOTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS TO TOW LINKS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING PART, SAID BOLT BEING PROVIDED WITH CAMS WHICH COOPERATE WITH SAID HEAD TO ENSURE A RELEASABLE SNAPPING OF THE HEAD PART INTO A RELEASE POSITION AND LOCKED POSITION, ONE SAID LINKS CONSISTING OF A BELL-CRANK LEVER WHICH IS ADAPTED TO BE OPERATED FROM THE OUTSIDE. 